Pages

May 6, 2013

An Artist's Garden

Our sketching group was privileged to be invited to sketch in William Kentridge's garden last week. The artist himself was away, but the place was abuzz with gardeners, house and studio staff, personal assistants and visiting builders and workmen - really a full-on business in motion. We were allowed a peek into the huge studio where some exciting work-in-progress was displayed on shelves and walls. After an exhausting climb to the top of the ridge to see the stunning views, I settled for a section of the garden in which a smaller version of William Kentridge and Gerhard Marx's 11 metre high FireWalker sculpture strides under an old fig tree. (I was struck by the holes in the fig leaves echoeing the holes in the sculpture and spent too long trying to draw that!) From various angles, the sculpture looks like scattered shapes of black and white metal plate, but when you see it directly from the front, they join together to form the figure of a woman - often seen around the streets of Joburg city, who cook and sell mielies (corn) and meat over their fire braziers, which they carry to and from work balanced on their heads.

Ah, me and Wm.Kentridge, working and drawing in the same inspiring surroundings...who would have thought!!

2 comments
:

I love Kentridge's work. I first saw him at an exhibition at Reed college in Portland, Oregon. I distinctly remember an animated work he did by drawing images, erasing and re-drawing. the images would morph and tell a story of slavery and oppression. It was amazing. I also saw his work in the stairwells at PS1 in Queens, NY. He's a very interesting and provocative guy. What a privilege to visit his garden.

2015 Symposium

Symposium sponsor

Workshop Sponsor

ADS

USk Manifesto

1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

The Urban Sketchers logo was created by Italian graphic designer Franco Lancio.